![]() When it comes to losing body fat or gaining muscle mass, protein is the most important macro to track. We choose to focus on protein first for good reasons. ![]() Then, once you get the hang of that, you can sharpen your skills by also setting carb and fat goals and hitting those. If you are hitting a certain calorie amount and also hitting a certain protein amount, then the rest of the calories that aren’t used from protein can be distributed to your carbs and fats however you like. If you feel like it’s a lot right now, then we recommend starting by counting your calories while counting your protein. Remember, that the goal isn’t to be perfect at tracking macros by tomorrow, but to start implementing it as soon as possible so that you can hit roadblocks, fail a bit, and overcome all of that. It’s totally normal if this feels overwhelming. This results in a look that some people call ‘skinny fat’, where you aren’t overweight, but you aren’t ‘toned’ either. However, since you only counted calories, and didn’t pay attention to macros (especially how much protein you were eating), you lost significant muscle mass in the process. You were hoping that by losing that weight, you’d obtain a look that most would define as ‘toned’ or ‘ripped’. But when you are only counting your calories, you aren’t paying attention to how those calories are distributed among your protein, carbs and fats.įor example, say you were to only count your calories for your goal of losing 40lbs. To break it down, when you count your macros, you are still counting your calories. However, when it comes to how your body looks (aka Body Composition), counting calories will bring different results than when you’re counting macros. Both counting your calories and counting your macros will work for weight loss by putting you in the caloric deficit we talked about in this post. Counting Calories vs Counting MacrosĪ common question we get from members when introducing them to tracking their macros is “If a calorie deficit is what matters, then can I only focus on counting my calories instead of my macros?” The answer is simple. Do your due diligence and find the balance that works best for you. But remember, the chance of burnout increases as you become more and more strict. ![]() The stricter you are, the more efficiently you’ll get to where you want to be. We recommend eating 80-90% whole foods, and 10-20% fun foods. But at times, it’s also the ‘adult move’ to know when to add in more fun foods to keep our sanity and social lives from crumbling. So then what does “eating like an adult” mean? As our Adult Card says, it’s up to us to do the things we need to in order to hit our goals, like eating a diet that consists mainly of whole foods. There are just foods that work toward our goals more so than others, and Whole Foods sit on the side of the spectrum that does just that. It’s important to note again that there are no Good Foods or Bad Foods. This gives us more freedom, allows us to still feel free by indulging in our favorite foods at social events, and avoids the common burnout seen when we are forced to eliminate whole food groups (like in the keto diet). When going this route, you’ll be taking care of your body by eating whole foods while still including the fun foods foods that may not necessarily work towards your goals or health, but are ok to eat in moderation. The goal of Flexible Dieting is to be exactly that, flexible. Introducing, Flexible Dieting with Macro Counting. Sure, quick and aggressive plans can work, but they will always lead to results that only last for a short time and rebound even more aggressively. At the end of the day, when it comes to hitting your goals long-term, we need to focus on finding a nutrition plan/diet that fits your lifestyle, and not the other way around. This article, which is the second installment in our Calories and Macros Series (read the first one here if you haven't already), will teach you how to read nutrition labels, calculate macros, and use apps like MyFitnessPal. ![]() But that doesn't mean it's impossible, or that you can't learn how. Figuring out how to eat for your goals is hard.
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